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Summary

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs from 1946 onwards at Stokenham.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Rectangular enclosure of uncertain date to east of Stokenham parish church

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 2053-54 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

The catch meadow is visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

Royal Air Force, 1951, RAF/540/497, RAF/540/497 RS 4135 12-MAY-1951 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351212.

The catch meadow is faintly visible as a series of earthwork ditches.

Ordnance Survey, 1976, OS/76038, OS/76038 V 13-14 26-APR-1976 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351458.

The catch meadow has been infilled.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A catch meadow of probable 19th century date is visible as a series of earthwork ditches on aerial photographs from 1946 at Stokenham. Most catch meadow systems are believed to date to the post medieval period, although it is likely that they were first developed in the medieval period. Catch meadows provided a simple, inexpensive and effective form of irrigation. When irrigation was required water was diverted from a source such as a pond, river, spring or spring-fed stream and passed along the meadow slopes via one or more of the gutters, which was then caused to overflow. The lower, roughly parallel gutters then ‘caught’ and redistributed water passing it evenly over the surface of a meadow below. The gently flowing water prevented the ground freezing in winter and encouraged early growth in spring, thereby providing extra feed for livestock, particularly important during the hungry gap of the March and April. The catch meadow covers an area of approximately 2 hectares of southeast facing slope. The system comprises a series of parallel gutters which measure less than 2m in width and likely tap a spring fed stream to the west. It is unclear from the aerial photographs alone with which farm this water meadow system might have been associated with. Not being directly linked to a farmstead it probably operated as a ‘detached’ system. The catch meadow remains faintly visible on aerial photographs of 1951 and appears to have been levelled by 1976.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 2053-54 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #63882 ]
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV351212	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1951. RAF/540/497. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/540/497 RS 4135 12-MAY-1951.
SDV351458	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1976. OS/76038. Ordnance Survey Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). OS/76038 V 13-14 26-APR-1976.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)

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